


Coming to Terms

by ajstyling



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Pre-Time Skip, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23657344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajstyling/pseuds/ajstyling
Summary: Edelgard and Claude talk about joining forces.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 9
Kudos: 68





	Coming to Terms

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WhiteRose_Is_My_Life](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteRose_Is_My_Life/gifts).



> This was written as a drabble for my friend cass. It turned into quite a bit more words than anticipated lol
> 
> Edelclaude rights! Check me out on twitter @ajstyyling

The brisk night air of Wyvern Moon washed over the monastery, chilling the gardens and courtyards. Tonight, the cold winds wouldn’t bother a single student. All of them had gathered within the dining hall for a feast to celebrate the annual Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Claude and his fellow Golden Deer had been victorious, but few within the dining hall could be bothered to care. Most were just happy for the bountiful food and extended curfew. Their gratitude was helped along by the wine many of them managed to sneak in.

As the raucous sounds of laughter filled the dining hall, one student in particular found herself somewhat less willing to forget the day's results.

Edelgard sat in the corner of the dining hall, a cup of some wretched wine that Dorothea had procured grasped firmly between her hands like a talisman meant to ward off the unwelcome advances from other students getting into the “festive” spirit.

She had to admit, all things considered, Claude had done a masterful job organizing this feast. For as fierce as the battle earlier in the day was, everyone, from every house, seemed to be having a great time with each other. Well, not everyone. Hubert had excused himself after barely more than a half an hour with some half-baked excuse of “more work.” 

Sitting in this corner, jealously watching the other students talk and laugh with each other without a care in the world, Edelgard found it impossible to hold Hubert’s lame excuse against him. Claude and Hubert’s idea of a good time was quite different.

With that thought in mind, she scanned the room once more looking for _him_ —the boy from Leicester who had outsmarted her and Dimitri once again. The boy who organized this patently ridiculous feast. The boy whose ludicrous flirtations lingered in Edelgard’s mind for days. The boy who hadn’t sought her out for even the briefest of time this evening. 

Her eyes went first to Hilda, who often seemed attached to Claude's hip. Hilda had clearly enjoyed the wine more than Edelgard because she was currently engaged in some sort of arm wrestling competition… with Raphael. But Claude was nowhere near. From Hilda, Edelgard’s eyes moved across the dining hall searching every table and corner for him. Edelgard gave a resigned sigh and set her mostly full cup of wine down on the nearest table. What did it matter to her if he chose to not speak with her? His odd flirtations aside, he was a rival. Nothing more. 

Without a word to anyone, she slipped out of the dining hall and into the cool night air. She hugged her jacket closer to her body as she made her way down the stairs and toward the monastery pond. At the bottom of stairs she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

“Leaving so soon, Princess?”

The years had trained Edelgard to respond only one way to an unexpected touch. She spun around without a second thought to who the voice belonged to or why they were talking to her. She gave a vicious forearm shiver to the presumed assassin's chest and shoved him up against the banister of the stairs. In the blink of an eye she drew a hidden dagger from within her coat and pressed it to his side while her knee pressed firmly against his groin. 

“Don’t fucking move,” she hissed.

A familiar nervous laugh escaped the assassin’s mouth. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

She looked up at her attacker’s face for the first time. “Claude?” 

“It’s me,” he said, “and I promise I’m not trying to kill you.”

“Then what exactly are you doing?” Edelgard hissed, the knife and knee still pressed firmly against him.

“Well, I was going to ask you to join me for some late night tea, but that might be easier without the knife,” he nodded toward the knife pressed against his side and then down at her knee, pressed firmly between his legs. “Or the knee,” he added quietly.

It was then, with the threat of an assassination attempt long forgotten, that Edelgard realized three things. The first was the crimson blush of Claude’s cheeks as the flickers of light from the dining hall danced across them. The second was the thundering beat of Claude’s heart that seemed ready to burst through his chest. The third was the myriad of ways their position could be misinterpreted by any one of the students feasting in the dining hall a short distance away. 

Her face warmed and she quickly pulled back the knife and the knee. She took two large steps back, leaving a respectable distance between the two. Small spot on the ground drew her eyes and she pledged to not look away from it. 

Her resolve broke the moment he spoke, “So, you always carry that thing?”

Edelgard looked at him grimly, “Nature of the job, I’m afraid.”

With a smirk, Claude drew a small knife from the depth of his jacket and held it toward her. “Believe me, I get it.”

Edelgard shook her head. “You know Claude, I am beginning to think you would make a formidable enemy.” 

He laughed, “I’ll have you know, Princess. That I’d make an even more formidable ally.”

“Oh? And what, perchance, would you offer me as an ally?” she asked with a teasing lilt. 

“For one, my devilish good looks.” Claude took a step closer to her.

She locked eyes with him and held her ground, “Is that all?”

“Of course not,” Claude said as he closed the gap further. “I just wanted to start strong. You’d also have my mind and my bow.”

“Mmmm. Now we’re getting somewhere,” Edelgard said as Claude took one more step and now stood directly in front of her. “And what would you ask for in return? For your bow, your mind, and those devilish good looks?”

Claude bent his face down closer and closer to hers and gave a light, airy laugh. “At last, she admits that she finds me handsome.”

Her eyes traced the shape of his face, lingering on his lips. The thundering drumbeat that now filled her ears was her own heart.

“I’m not blind,” she said simply. “What would you ask for in return?”

“Share your dream with me,” he said.

Edelgard frowned, how very like Claude to ask for that which she could not give. She leaned back slightly and he quirked an eyebrow in response. “I am afraid, Claude, that I cannot accept your offer. As your demand is beyond what I can fulfill.” 

She looked down at the ground feeling foolish and surprisingly disappointed with herself. He closed the distance once more. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as he raised his hand and stopped it inches from her face.

“May I?” he asked gently.

Something she couldn’t quite name compelled her to nod before she could even contemplate every implication. Claude brought his hand to her face and rested it gently against her cheek. His hand was rough, calloused from years of archery, but his touch was gentle and he used it to guide her eyes back to his own. Edelgard couldn’t remember the last time someone had touched her like this and now she thought she might never want him to stop.

“The dream was a big ask,” he said. “So how about a kiss?”

Edelgard thought her cheeks might melt off her face. “Wh—what?” she spluttered. 

He left his hand against her cheek, but made no move to close the gap between them any further and offered no further clarification.

Edelgard _definitely_ couldn’t remember the last time someone had kissed her because throughout 18 years of life, no one ever had. 

She laughed bitterly, “You have no idea what you’re asking for.”

“Well, I guess I haven’t really kissed many people but I’m fairly sure I understand the mechanics of it all,” he said with a small shrug.

“I’ve never kissed anyone,” she blurted out. 

“Oh,” Claude said, “Okay. I understand if you don’t want to spend your first kiss on me.”

“Are you dense?” she asked incredulously.

Edelgard didn’t give him the chance to answer. Something about his own insecurity compelled her forward. She grabbed the front of his shirt and used it to pull his face down toward her. She fiercely pressed her lips against his own. Unlike Claude, she wasn’t sure that she understood the mechanics of this at all. 

Unlike his hands, his lips were surprisingly soft while still equally gentle. If he minded her inexperience, he certainly didn’t say so. Instead she felt his hand snake behind her back and press her body closer to his own. It felt indescribable, like every feeling in her body slammed senselessly against her ribcage. Excitement, worry, and _desire_ all washed over her as she moved her lips against his own and hoped that he would find it satisfactory.

When they finally pulled back for air, it seemed he had found it satisfactory indeed—if his flushed cheeks, heavy breathing, and genuine smile were any indication.

After a moment he moved forward again to kiss her once more, but she halted him with a hand to his chest. He gave her a confused look.

Edelgard cleared her throat and smoothed down the fabric of her dress. “I’d like to continue— _discussing_ the terms of this alliance. Perhaps we might do so over tea?” 

Claude flashed her a devilish grin that sent shivers down her spine. “I think that’s a great idea, Princess. After all, we’ve got a lot of details to hash out.” He offered his hand.

She took his hand without hesitation. “Then do lead the way and be quick about it. The night is only so long and we have _so_ much to discuss.”

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter: @ajstyyling
> 
> Comments/kudos greatly appreciated!


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